Stanley Cup Finals Begin Tonight

For hockey fans, there's no greater prize than Lord Stanley's Cup. While events like the Olympics, the World Hockey Championships, and even the World Cup of Hockey, showcase the elite players on national teams, there's no greater prize than winning four-straight best-of-seven series to take home the hardware. Tonight, the surprise Edmonton Oilers and the powerful Carolina Hurricanes will begin the first showdown for the Stanley Cup since the Tampa Bay Lightning conquered the Calgary Flames 728 days ago.

The match-up between the Oilers and the Hurricanes will, surprisingly, be the first time these two teams have met since the lockout. With an emphasis on division rivalries, cross-conference play took a back seat. This will give a slight edge to Carolina in that the first clash of these two titans will happen in the home rink, the RBC Center.

With so many great match-ups between the two teams, the swing factor will be goaltending. As much as the battle between Oilers D-man Chris Pronger and the young Hurricanes' forward Eric Staal has been featured, the true test of the series will be on the shoulders of Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson and the tandem goalkeeping of the Carolina Hurricanes, featuring rookie Cam Ward and veteran Martin Gerber. Roloson has been outstanding, as TSN quotes his post-season stats as "12-5 with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage." Compare that to Cam Ward, who is "11-5 with a 2.07 GAA in 16 games" as well as Gerber, who boasts one shut-out in his four complete games played.

As for Chris Pronger, he can't receive enough praise. Former NHL coach, Jaques Demers, has been reporting for USA Today, and he says "The Oilers get the edge because I think Chris Pronger is the reason Edmonton will win the series. He's dominating the game. He's playing 30-plus minutes a game. He plays against the opponent's top line. He kills penalties. And other defensemen, such as Steve Staios and Jason Smith, are playing well, following the pattern of their leader on the blue line. Pronger has been absolutely unbelievable in these playoffs." How's that for a ringing endorsement?

It seems, though, it's hard to find two people to agree on the outcome of this series. The San Jose Mercury News call Carolina in 6, citing "Carolina 21-year-old center Eric Staal unleashed his power and skill to the tune of 45 goals and 100 points in his rookie season and hasn't been intimidated by the playoffs - he leads all postseason scorers 20 points. Cory Stillman (19 points) and captain Rod Brind'Amour (nine goals) also are having big playoffs. The `Canes have a corps of swift, skilled forwards that keeps coming in pressure-mounting waves." There's no denying the good logic here, but perhaps they're still a little annoyed about the Oilers defeating two California teams, most notably the San Jose Sharks.

In the end, special teams, solid goaltending, good coaching and winning little battles (on the boards, in front of the net, dealing out bone-crunching hits) will be the determining factors. As much as individual players have to excel, these teams will live and die by their ability to play as a team, and get support from their second, third and fourth lines. When the puck drops at 8pm ET (5pm ET Pacific), the pundits predictions will fly out the window, and determination will take over. One thing seems certain: This series is going to be hard-fought, unforgiving, and ultimately thrilling. That's exactly what the new NHL was supposed to be.

[Additional Sources: TSN, USA Today, San Jose Mercury News]